PM gets the job done at low-key launch

Michelle Grattan

Julia Gillard's launch was a carefully packaged, narrowly focused product, designed with several strategic purposes in mind. Seeking to give it a note of authenticity, she delivered the speech without a teleprompter or looking at notes.

The ingredients were modest new initiatives; a tribute and thread of hope for Queensland son Kevin Rudd ("a man of great achievements, with great achievements to lie in the future for our nation"); the reprising of her life story (enough, please!), which she likes to marry to her wider national narrative about education, hard work and achievement; warnings about Tony Abbott and the economy; and a dash of inspiration that — rather dubiously — channelled Barack Obama, exhorting people on Saturday to say "yes we will".

Health is Labor's favoured ground, broadband is an issue on which the Opposition Leader has faltered. Presto, the health measures make use of broadband technology, and also bolster the arguments justifying such a high-priced system.

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It wasn't a launch to remember but, as Gillard might say, she got the job done.

The Labor crowd was dutifully enthusiastic but not ecstatic. You wouldn't have thought that less than two months ago Labor gave Australia its first woman PM. But this was Queensland, where things are tough politically for Labor. Premier Anna Bligh, who is also ALP national president, spoke but only briefly (Labor sources pointed out this was similar to the 2007 launch.) And then there was the Rudd factor. Rudd could hardly be asked to contribute — it was enough he turned up. Labor always seems to be holding its breath in this campaign, but the Rudd presence was without incident.

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Gillard stretched back a very long way for the main warm-up speaker — Bob Hawke found the occasion a good opportunity to say quite a lot about his own government in the course of praising the woman he says he'd like to see outdo his record of longest serving Labor PM.

Like old fighters unable to resist an opportunity to get back into the ring, it was great to see Hawke and John Howard having a return bout over the economy. That they are fighting over the record of a government other than their own just makes their durability the more impressive.

Abbott had the best quip of the day, on Hawke. "It was very interesting that the Prime Minister chose Bob Hawke to introduce her because he was the last Labor leader who got the top job by knifing a Queenslander."

Predictably Gillard concentrated heavily on the economic contrast between Labor and the Coalition. Abbott had on average spent $1 billion a day; he was the "real risk" for debt and deficit in this campaign; she would not delay her 2013 return to surplus by one day or even one hour. Abbott's economic vulnerability may be fertile ground in these last days. Newspoll yesterday showed Labor has virtually wiped out the advantage the Coalition had on economic management.

Abbott has lost some skin for refusing to debate Gillard on the economy (notwithstanding last night's offer). The opposition's refusal to have most of its policies officially costed makes it look as though it is avoiding scrutiny.

The Labor Party is heartened by the way the economic debate is going. Indeed, it is encouraged that things are looking up in the election, although Labor sources stress the tightness in the marginal seats still makes the outcome unpredictable. It just hopes that the better days will continue until the end of the week and get it over the line.

Gillard's speech was notable for what it didn't include. There were many areas omitted but most obviously, where was climate change, other than getting a passing mention? The issue that contributed so much to Labor's 2007 victory, and then helped bring Rudd down, hardly figured except in the Obama-style rhetoric: "yes we will work together and tackle the challenge of climate change". This downplaying of an issue that dominated much of the politics of this term is amazing. It suggests that Labor doesn't think it can convince the electorate any more that it has a credible policy in this issue. Gillard's citizens' assembly, to try to forge a consensus, has become such an object of ridicule that it is better not mentioned. Overall, Gillard yesterday was shrinking the agenda to issues playing well for her.